“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We all go through seasons in our lives.  Right now, God is bringing me into a new season, and it actually has nothing to do with my circumstances this time.  Rather, He told me that He wants to bring me into a season of silence – not of His silence but of my silence.  I am a “talker” (I get it from my daddy).  I like words; and sometimes, to be quite honest, I like to hear myself talk.  It is good to be bold and have something meaningful to say, but listening is a vital part of true conversation.  The Lord is always speaking; therefore if I am not hearing Him, the problem is that I am not listening.

“In the silence
You are speaking
In the quiet I can feel the fire
And it’s burning, burning deeply
Burning all that it is that you desire to be silent, in me”

Now, I love the Lord very much.  I go about my day basking in His presence and am always communicating with Him.  When I have my morning quiet time, I pour out my heart to Him and ask Him for greater wisdom and deeper compassion and other good things like that.  And the Lord loves that.  But at this time in my life He has laid it on my heart that He wants to reveal more to me, to bring me to the places of His heart that I have never yet been.  And to do that, He needs my silence.  That’s not to say that I can’t lift my voice in worship or that I can’t rise in the morning and thank Him for a new day.  However, I don’t need to remind Him about myself because He knows me, knows the deep dreams within me; He created me and sees every intimate place of my heart.  But now He wants me to know the intimate places of His heart.

“Cause I’d rather stand here speechless
With no great words to say
If my silence is more truthful
And my ears can hear how to walk in your way”
(Lyrics from Jason Upton’s “In the Silence”)

For the time being, I have been called into a season of silence, a season of listening.  I will not put any boundaries or stipulations on it; I will not ask for greater clarity regarding my path or even ask for more of my Lord through this.  Instead I am entering in with my heart wide open, ready to receive whatever He has for me.  I don’t even know how long this will last, but I am simply stepping into it with expectation of God doing whatever He wants to do.  I have just one thing to say:

“Here I am, Lord.  As You wish; Your will be done.”

And now I wait in the silence for the still, small Voice.